Tax Freedom Day® to Arrive April 13 in 2009 March 31, 2009 TF Staff TF Staff Tax Freedom Day will arrive on April 13 this year, according to the Tax Foundation’s annual calculation using the latest government data on income and taxes. This is the earliest in the year that Tax Freedom Day has fallen since 1967. This is eight days earlier than in 2008, and a full two weeks earlier than in 2007, for two reasons: (1) the recession has reduced tax collections even faster than it has reduced income, and (2) the stimulus package includes large temporary tax cuts for 2009 and 2010. Nevertheless, Americans will pay more in taxes than they will spend on food, clothing and housing combined. In the study, Tax Foundation Special Report No. 165, “America Celebrates Tax Freedom Day,” Tax Foundation staff economist Josh Barro traces the course of America’s tax burden since 1900, examines the composition of today’s tax burden by type of tax, and finally calculates a Tax Freedom Day for each state. Tax Freedom Day moves somewhat independently from an alternative calculation that adds the federal budget deficit to total taxes collected. In 2009, an unprecedented budget deficit over $1.5 trillion produces a date of May 29. This is the latest date in the year this deficit-inclusive measure has ever fallen. The only previous years when taxes and deficit spending comprised a similarly large share of national income were 1944 and 1945, at the peak of World War II. In the postwar era, this date had never fallen later than May 9 (in 1992). Figure 1 below shows Tax Freedom Day as traditionally presented and with the inclusion of the federal budget deficit, since 1967 (click figure to enlarge). Tax Freedom Day by State, 2009 State Tax Freedom Day Rank United States April 13 Alabama April 2 44 Alaska March 23 50 Arizona April 10 23 Arkansas April 4 37 California April 20 4 Colorado April 12 16 Connecticut April 30 1 Delaware April 11 20 Florida April 9 27 Georgia April 12 17 Hawaii April 13 14 Idaho April 12 18 Illinois April 13 15 Indiana April 8 28 Iowa April 4 39 Kansas April 8 30 Kentucky April 3 41 Louisiana March 28 49 Maine April 6 33 Maryland April 19 5 Massachusetts April 16 7 Michigan April 10 24 Minnesota April 15 9 Mississippi March 28 48 Missouri April 6 34 Montana April 3 42 Nebraska April 8 31 Nevada April 8 29 New Hampshire April 10 22 New Jersey April 29 2 New Mexico April 2 43 New York April 25 3 North Carolina April 9 25 North Dakota April 1 46 Ohio April 11 21 Oklahoma April 4 40 Oregon April 9 26 Pennsylvania April 14 11 Rhode Island April 14 10 South Carolina April 4 38 South Dakota March 29 47 Tennessee April 5 36 Texas April 6 32 Utah April 13 13 Vermont April 12 19 Virginia April 16 6 Washington April 16 8 West Virginia April 1 45 Wisconsin April 13 12 Wyoming April 5 35 District of Columbia April 13 Read the full Tax Freedom Day report here. Stay informed on the tax policies impacting you. Subscribe to get insights from our trusted experts delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe Share Tweet Share Email Topics Center for Federal Tax Policy Center for State Tax Policy Tax Freedom Day Tags State Tax and Spending Policy